In addition to processing voice calls from both wired and wireless phones, handheld communication devices now also communicate with other types of devices such as computers of all form factors, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or handheld PCs, Integrated Communication Devices (ICDs), etc. Additionally, communication devices have merged the capabilities of cellular telephones, PDAs, ICDs, and computing devices and now provide increasingly sophisticated applications. Applications provide the communication device with the ability to perform a wide variety of tasks including drafting documents, preparing presentations, creating movies and music, taking pictures, maintaining schedules, connecting to the Internet, etc. For example, the communication devices can be connected to the Internet using cellular network connections and standard Internet Protocols (IP). Some of these applications may be distributed between multiple devices through various network connections.
Devices can be connected using any communication media including Radio Frequency wireless (including Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID)), phone line, power line, Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ethernet, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394, etc. Thus, any communication medium that can be used to network devices can enable distribution of application services between devices.
The IEEE establishes industry wide standards designed to resolve compatibility issues between manufacturers of various electronic equipment. The IEEE 802.11™ specifications define wireless standards for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) that provide an “over-the-air” interface between a wireless client and a base station or access point, as well as among other wireless clients. Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) denotes a set of WLAN standards developed in support of the IEEE 802.11™ specifications. The 802.11 WLAN concept is based on a cellular architecture such that the system is subdivided into cells that are controlled by a base station known as an access point. Multiple cells may be joined through their access points typically using Ethernet, but possibly using wireless technology or other network technologies.
The IEEE 802.15 Working Group provides standards for low-complexity and low-power consumption Wireless Personal Area Networks (PANs) such as those supported by the Bluetooth specification. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is driving the development of Bluetooth as a specification for low cost, short-range (0.1-100 meters) wireless communication between two devices. Bluetooth™ wireless technology supports both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections. A Bluetooth™ wireless technology transceiver in communication devices allows communication in a PAN or an ad hoc network. The architectural protocol layers of a Bluetooth wireless communication system include the Host Control Interface (HCI), the Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol (L2CAP), the RS232 Serial Cable Emulation Profile (RFCOMM), the Service Discovery Protocol (SDP), and the Object Exchange (OBEX) Protocol.
The utility of the communication devices, however, has been limited due to relatively poor implementations of local connectivity in the devices. For example, the standard Bluetooth profiles have been effective when a cable replacement is needed as in when a headset is implemented wirelessly. However, other Bluetooth profiles, including OBEX, Vcard, calendar, and ftp that can be used by some applications for transporting business cards, calendar events, or files, have met with less success due to inadequate standardization. As a result, it has been difficult to develop applications that implement these functions. Additionally, the Bluetooth standard profiles limit the functionality provided. The Bluetooth lower level interfaces such as RFComm and L2CAP may be used, but programming at this level is difficult, requires specific Bluetooth expertise, and introduces development risks. For example, different devices may support different Bluetooth implementations. As a result, an application developed for a first device may not execute properly when installed on a second device. Additionally, the second device may not support Bluetooth at all. Instead, the second device may use infrared Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectivity, Ultra Wideband connectivity (UWB), WIFI connectivity, etc. The connections additionally may be wired or wireless.
Thus, what is needed is a method of distributing services between devices that support various connectivity standards independent of the connection standard so that applications do not require modification when new connectivity standards become available or are implemented in different devices. What is further needed is a method for distributing services that bridges the current gap between link specific communication and Internet Protocol (IP) communication.